Fluorescent lighting fixture with light baffles



April 1, 1952 GILMAN FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURE WITH LIGHT BAFFLES Filed Dec. 25, 1949 INVENTOR. 4 Ouzs GJ/zrmr;

Patented Apr. 1, 1952 FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURE WITH LIGHT BAFFLES Louis Gilman, Brighton, Mass.

Application December 23, 1949, Serial No. 134,810

6 Claims.

whole, but the structural design has been im-- provide to provide a separating partition which automatically is locked in place when the fixture is given its permanent or final form. In addition to this, the construction of the supporting elements for the fixture which interlock with the fixture and the provision for the incorporation of the fluorescent light tubes provides a simple and efiicient fixture which is remarkably easy to assemble and install and durable because of its peculiar construction.

' Without further describing the merits and advantages of the present invention, the invention will be described in connection with the drawings set forth below showing an embodiment of the invention in which:

Figure 1 shows a development of a fragmentary portion of the fixture.

Figure 2 shows a side elevation of the fixture in its complete assembly with the right end broken away, and,

Figure 3 shows a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2. 1

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows the development of the fixture in a plane referred to the plane of the paper in which the forms of various parts will be referred to in the name of the elements of the ultimate structure. This comprises transverse baflies or plates 1 and 2 joined together through small tie strips 3 near one end of the plates and side sections 4 and 5 which form the sides of the fixture. The position of the fixture shown in Figure 2 as vertical, as for instance if it were hanging on a ceiling, shows the central baille as for instance 2 positioned vertically, perpendicular to a central partition 6 which is also in a vertical plane. As indicated in Figure 3, the sides 4 and 5 are inclined upwards and outwards at an angle forming an enclosure or frame for the sides of the fixture. The central array of baffles l and 2 which are joined together by the short tie strips 3 are punched out with an oval or round- 2 shaped hole 1 which has a small neck opening 8 just above the tie strips 3.

The inner ends of the baffles i and 2 in their flat or developed form have end edges 9 and 10 respectively which diverse from the point of the throat 8 and terminate in inwardly extending tabs H and 12 which almost come together at their ends but which however leave a space between the ends which is equivalent to the throat opening at 8. This opening should be slightly wider than the thickness of the metal sheet of the partition 6. Just below the tie strip 3, the battles are rounded off by a recess [3 giving the bailies the appearance of two independent elements rather than an element struck out from a single piece of metal. The form of the developed died-out structure is symmetrical with the center line O---O and the angle 0 between the ends 9 and I0 and the center line 0 are not only equal but are such that when they are brought against the face 6 of the partition or nearly so, the top edges [4 and I 5 of the baiiles are horizontal or in the positions which are desired. The partitioning sheet 6 is provided with holes l6 through which the tabs II and :2 pass interlocking with one another. The partitioning element 6 is also recessed at spaced intervals at l! at the bottom of the partition which are in line with the hole [6, and these recesses rest against the tie strips 3 with the inside walls of recesses coming against the sides of the tie strips if desired. There is, however, enough of a locking area since the partition 6 is locked in with every baflie sheet or plate and will therefore maintain firmly its position.

As described in connection with my prior pat ent, the bafiie strips l and 2 are bent out of the plane of the paper as they appear in Figure 1 by counter-clockwise rotation as viewed from the right of Figure 1. Such a rotation will bring the lower side edges of the baflies as viewed in Figure 1 below the sides 4 and 5 and will put a twist in the strips l8 connecting the baffles I with the side piece 4 and a similar twist in the strips I 9 connecting the bafiles 2 with the side piece 5. The side piece I will then be bent upwards about the strips I 8 as a pivot in a counter-clockwise rotation as viewed from the lower end of Figure 1 and the piece 5 will similarly be bent upwards in a clockwise rotation to the position shown by 4 and 5 in Figure 3. The partitioning strip 6 may be inserted at this time or before if desired, and then the baffles may be forced downward until the tabs H and I2 interlock in the hole It with the side edges [4 and I5 forming a continuation with one another if that is the ultimate form of the design. It will, of course, be noted that the upper and lower baffle edges need not be parallel to one another in the present design and these bafiles may be shaped in different form than in the parallelogram form shown.

As described above, the fixture proper is formed and assembled. The only additional elements are the ends and the top which are readily applied as will presently be explained. The fixture is finished 01f at each end by an end plate 2|] which is provided with flanged. peripheral rims 2| at the sides of the plate and 22 at the bottom of the plate as well as flanges 23 and 24 which are inclined inwardlyand terminate in a downward projecting, hook-like elements 25 and 26. The flanges 2| lie in face contact with the ends of the side pieces 4 and 5. which may have turned in. tip sections 21, 28 against which theflan'ges' 23 and. 24' rest. The end plates may be welded to the side plates or riveted or attached in. any desired way.

The inturned hooksections 25 and 25 are engaged by a supporting hanger member 29.. which is a part of the top cover or casing 30 in which the ballast. units, wiring, support 'for fixture, fluorescent tube supports as shown by 3!, 31' are all contained and supported. The cover 39 is provided with end sections. 32 which may be a partofthe cover 30 or attached to it. in. any Way. The end. sections 32 are provided with vertical end plates 33 which may have knockout discs 34 for cables or conduit connections and which at its bottom edge has an inwardly inclined flange 35 which is integral with the supporting plate 29; It will be noted in Figure 2 that the end plate 20' of the fixture extends upward in the section 36- and' covers the support 29. The cover member 30 is shaped in section as shown in Figure 3 and is provided at its end with a cover 31 welded to inwardly extending flanges 38 which are turned inward from the side walls- 39 of the cover. The cover plate 31 supports the fixtures 31 for the fluorescent lights. The cover3B together with the electrical fixtures for the lamps and the supporting end plates 29 are all assembled as one unit. A removable cover 40 serves to fit over the bottom of the cover 30 except for the. end plate sections 37. This cover may be attached. by machine screws or in any other suitable way and is removable so that the electrician can get at the inside of the fixture for attaching the cover 38 to the ceiling, making connections; to the electrical wires and for other purposes. When the top section including the cover 30 has been fixed in position, then. the rest of. the fixture which.

has previously been described is put in place simply by hanging it over the supporting pieces 29. It will be evident from the description above that the fixture as a whole is very easy to install and further that it is readily removed for cleaning purposes since only the bottom section need be removed for this.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. Alighting fixture comprising an integral structure formed with side plates and a plurality of transverse bafiie plates joined in aligned pairs extending parallel to one another from one side plate to the other, connecting strips having a twist joining each pair of baflle plates at their ends to said side plates, said twist permitting the bafiie plates to be positioned in a vertical plane with the fixture horizontal, a connecting strip extending from adjacent ends of each baflle element of each pair connecting said battles with a space therebetween, a central plate extending lengthwise of said fixture filling said space and tab elements extending from said adjacent ends and engaging in holes in said central plate overlapping each other for fixing the central plate in place.

2. A lighting fixture as set forth in claim 1, having end plates with flanges overlapping said side plates and providing hook-like supports extending transversely inward of said side plates and over the same and a top cover having downwardly projecting end plates engaging and interlocking in said flanges of said end plates.

3'. A. lighting fixture formed with. side longitu dinal plates and parallel cross bafiies' joined at their ends to the side. plates,- an end plate attached at'each end of'the side plates and parallel to the cross bafiles, said end plates having inwardly projecting flanges overlapping the side plates. in: which the end plates are secured to the side plates and extending inwardly beyond thepositionof; the side plates forming at: each side face-opposition with the inside of said end. plate and the outside of said end plate to be in substantially the same plane as the outside of the end of the covering box.

5. A lighting fixture as set forth in claim 3- in which the parallel cross baffle plates are arranged in aligned pairs with adjacent end edges joined by thin strips. to each other and to the side plates by thin strips with a 90 twist.

G. A lighting fixture as in claim 5 in which the adjacent end'edges of the baflie plates have projecting tabs engaging in holes in said longitudinal dividing plate and locking said longitudinal dividing plate in fixed position.

' LOUIS GILM-AN;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

7 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

